Arabesque Dance Company
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Instructors: Music


Suleiman Warwar: Dumbek, Riqq, Qatim, Mazhar, Daff, Dhaholla

Percussion Director

Suleiman Warwar Suleiman Warwar was born in Nazareth, Palestine in 1977. He began playing Arabic Tablah or Dumbek at age 6. The self-taught musician was the lead Dumbek player in his high school orchestra in Nazareth and performed traditional and modern musical pieces around the country. Suleiman immigrated to Canada in 1995 where he was introduced to Latin American, African, Turkish and many other types of music. As well as traditional Arabic percussion including Dumbek, Duff, Katim and Riqq, Suleiman also plays Bongos, Congas and Djembe. His innovative style of drumming has led him to play with such artists as Bassam Bishara, George Wasouf and in various peace movement events. Suleiman is a sought after master dumbek artist who is invited around the world to teach. He is the lead dumbek player for the Arabesque Dance Company Orchestra and has composed many popular drum solos available on his CD entitled "Beyond Rhthym" and the Arabesque Dance Company CDs entitled "Nawaem", Asala 1 and Asala 2.

Kevork Guerguerian: Dumbek

Dumbek Instructor

Kevork Guerguerian, born in 1965 in sacred Egypt (land of ageless wisdom and mystery) to Armenian parents.

At a very early age, he began to study Latin percussion sounds and African rhythms. He has studied over the past 25 years across Canada with well-known teachers who've inspired him to bring the basic ground skills of musical and rhythmic communication to organizations and communities.

His extensive background in adult education has provided him the necessary tools to design and facilitate learning for corporate events, leadership workshops, professional growth and personal relationships. Kevork has created a company called Hands of Rhythm and has a passion to share the platform of drum circle facilitation to help others build team capacity and learning and development in their organizations and institutions.

Samira Hafezi: Dumbek

Dumbek Instructor

Samira Hafezi Samira's talent for music was visible at an early age when she began playing songs by ear on an electric keyboard she shared with her older brother. Shortly thereafter her parents enrolled her in piano lessons and she continued studying the piano throughout her teens, along with the violin, which she picked up in school. In 2004 Samira began taking dance classes at Arabesque Academy, and over time her love of music prompted her to begin studying the dumbek with Suleiman Warwar. She's been taking dumbek classes continually since 2006 and is excited about the opportunity to teach. Samira devotes her spare time to photography, working regularly with the wonderful Arabesque Dance Company, as well as other international dancers. Her other hobbies include dance, painting, travelling and kickboxing.

Bassam Bishara: Oude, Violin, Vocals, Saz, Theory

Musical Director

Bassam Bishara Prof. Bassam Bishara was born in Ramah village, upper Galilee, Palestine in 1954. He began his early training in Middle Eastern Oude at the Academy of Music in Hafia and at the University of Jerusalem. He eventually went on to teach in private schools and formed a Middle Eastern Orchestra quickly becoming sought after throughout Palestine. In 1983, he was appointed Music Director for Alhakawati Theatre in Jerusalem, where his concerts, music and songs were dedicated to the Palestine cause. He has toured extensively throughout Europe and the United States performing with an orchestra and as a soloist. Now living in Canada, he composes and records music for many artists including Arabesque Dance Company. He is the lead vocalist, oude and violin player as well as musical director for Arabesque and is professor of Midde Eastern Music at York University.

Dr. George Sawa: Qanoon, Naye, Theory, History

Founder / Co-Director

George Sawa George Sawa was born in Alexandria , Egypt in 1947. He studied Classical Arabic music at the Higher Institute of Arabic Music specializing in qanoon, voice and theory. After immigrating to Canada in 1970, he studied ethno-musicology and obtained his doctorate in Historical Arabic Musicology at the University of Toronto. He has taught medieval, modern and religious Middle Eastern Music at York University and the University of Toronto, and is the author of "Music Performance in Early Abbasid Era 750-932AD" published in 1989. George Sawa has given numerous concerts and lecture demonstrations at universities, museums and art galleries in Europe and North America He has been teaching at Arabesque Academy, School of Middle Eastern Dance and Music Arts since 1995 and regularly teaches alongside Yasmina Ramzy in many dance workshops. He was awarded the 1990 Ontario Folk Arts Recognition Fellowship for his performances and lecture demonstrations on the qanoon. George served as a performer, composer and music coach in R. Murray Schafer's RA in Toronto (1983) and Holland (1985). As well as serving as the Musical Director for the Egyptian exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum, George has arranged music for and directed the musicians of the Arabesque Dance Company Orchestra since 1996 where he also plays the qanoon and naye in all of their performances.